Authorities open investigation into Florida nursing home deaths

Federal, state and local officials are investigating the deaths of eight residents of a Hollywood, Fla., nursing home who died after power outages caused by Hurricane Irma.

When emergency workers arrived at the nursing home this week, they found three people dead. One other person died while paramedics and authorities evacuated the facility; three more people died in the hospital.

In all, 115 people were evacuated from the nursing home, and state authorities have temporarily closed facility, according to CBS12 reported. 

{mosads}The nursing home said it was prepared for the hurricane, which slammed into Florida early Sunday morning. Jorge Carballo, the nursing home’s administrator, said staff had stocked seven days’ worth of food and were using a power generator. 

“We are devastated by these losses,” he said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with all authorities and regulators to assess what went wrong and to ensure our other residents are cared for.”

But what nursing home staff did to ensure the residents’ welfare is being looked at as part of the criminal investigation, according to CBS12. 

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said he would “aggressively demand answers on how this tragic event took place.”

“Although the details of these reported deaths are still under investigation, this situation is unfathomable,” he said in a statement. “Every facility that is charged with caring for patients must take every action and precaution to keep their patients safe — especially patients that are in poor health.” 

The Broward County Medical Examiner identified the victims as Bobby Owens, 84, Manuel Mario Medieta, 96, Miguel Antonio Franco, 92, Estella Hendricks, 71, Gail Nova, 71, Carolyn Eatherly, 78, Betty Hibbard, 84, and Albertina Vega, 99.